


Life Lessons

by ForTheFunOfIt_37



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Erza Scarlet - Freeform, I've lost my mind, Maybe good?, Mom Irene, Other, eileen belserion - Freeform, erza has issues, erza's lost her shit, half baked idea here, hold on wait is it irene or eileen, irene belserion - Freeform, irene just wants to be a good mom, kid!erza, magic is a wonderful thing, mom!irene, pretty sure it's just crack but still, some one stop me
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:02:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27842683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ForTheFunOfIt_37/pseuds/ForTheFunOfIt_37
Summary: It is no secret that Erza Scarlet's emotional skills are .... a work in progress. As are her people skills. And ability to relate to society as a whole. But fear not! Mother comes to the rescue! Irene has a list of lessons her daughter needs to learn and has a plan to teach her. She thinks it's a brilliant idea and is confident it will work.Erza is less than impressed.(Rated for language because Erza's struggling here lol)
Comments: 54
Kudos: 42





	1. Lesson 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm seriously not sure if this is just a crack fic or a truely brilliant idea. You tell me.

When Erza first saw the bracelet, she didn’t think anything of it. It was just a bracelet. A gift. Plain and simple. A token of affection from her mother, who was trying to build a relationship with her. Erza had thought it sweet.

It wasn’t until she put it on that she realized it was a lot more complicated than that.

The second she’d slid the silver band over her wrist, her awareness seemed to lurch and she went through only what she could describe as a fall.

It was nauseating. Up and down, left and right. Everything was backwards as she tumbled down, or maybe it was up?

When her senses returned, everything felt wrong. Off-kilter.

She was aware of her pulse and ragged breathing. She could taste her own anxiety. Feel the shadows lurking behind her. She felt small. Not just mentally, but literally too. Everything seemed out of proportion. 

She’d caught a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror and nearly screamed.

It had taken all of four seconds for Erza to somehow conclude that it was the fault of the bracelet, and by extension, her mother for her current state. She’d yanked the piece off and sent it hurling across her room. 

The rise back to her previous self was even more disorienting than the initial fall, but Erza was herself once more. 

She’d paced back and forth for twenty minutes, trying to comprehend what had just happened, before she made up her mind. She marched across the room and snatched up the bracelet before storming out of her room.

No one stopped her as she strode purposefully from Fairy Hills towards the outskirts of town.

Irene Belserion owed her a serious explanation.

  
  


_ “What the fuck is this?!” _ Erza threw the bracelet across the table like it had burned her as she dropped into the empty chair at her mother’s dining table.

“Indoor voices, dear.” Irene said calmly, stopping the piece of jewelry from skidding off the table with a hand. “And it’s a bracelet. I thought it was rather obvious?”

She could practically see her daughter’s blood boiling and took a sip of her tea to hide her smirk.

Erza’s eyes darkened. “Explanation.  _ Now. _ ”

“Very well. It’s the solution to your problem.”

“My problem?” 

Irene placed her cup back into it’s saucer on the table. “That’s what I said, was it not?”

“It turned me  _ into a child! _ ” Erza roared, slamming her palms on the table and standing up. “How  _ the fuck _ does that solve a problem?! Better yet,  _ what kind of a problem do you think I have that the solution is age regression?! _ ”

“This is the exact problem you have, right here.” Irene explained, indicating Erza’s aggressive stance. “You’re lashing out in anger because you don’t understand your own feelings.”

Erza snorted and sat back down. “You have got to be kidding me.”

“It’s true. You’ve spent so long repressing how you feel that you don’t know what you feel anymore. You’re frustrated.”

“Is that so? And a bracelet that turns me into a child is supposed to somehow make me magically understand my feelings?”

“In a way,” Irene placed her hands in her lap. “Children have emotional responses without all the filters gained in adulthood. They will act on impulse until they learn to manage said emotions, but their reactions are genuine and not the result of years of repression. Putting it simply, children are more honest with themselves and how they feel.”

“So your solution to my supposed inability to understand how I feel is to live life as a child so I can ‘be more honest with myself’?” Erza scoffed. “Sorry, Mother, but I had a childhood already and don’t intend to have another.”

“It’s not a supposed problem, my love, it’s real. Your emotional, and, quite frankly, basic life skills, education is severely lacking. As your mother, I feel it is my job to remedy that. Provide you with the help you need.”

“This is ridiculous.”

“I really do want the best for you. The bracelet will help, I guarantee it. If you let meー”

“Nice try, but it’s not gonna happen.” Erza said, a bit more snarky than she had originally intended, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. “I see what you’re doing. You’re just upset that you missed out on this part of your life. This is your way of going back in time to be a mother again. That time has passed! I’m an adult now and I don’t need you.”

“There you go again. Lashing out because you’re upset.” Irene sighed, smoothing her skirt. “The bracelet is a form of release, dear. You are clearly not capable of letting go, of feeling emotions in a healthy way, on your own and everything is building up. By allowing yourself to regress, you can release all of that in a safe place and a healthier headspace where you can learn to manage everything. You’ve done your best, now let me help.”

“Absolutely not!”

“Erzaー”

She pushed away from the table as she jumped up to her feet. “Not happening! Thanks for trying, but absolutely not!”

Irene sighed again as Erza headed for the door. “Come back and sit down, dear.”

As expected, Erza ignored her and kept walking.

That is until she hit the barrier enchantment Irene had put up prior to her daughter’s arrival.

Erza Scarlet was a force to be reckoned with, but, to those that knew her best, she was incredibly predictable. Especially when she was worked up about something.

“Take it down!” Erza yelled from the front of the house.

Irene said nothing as she grabbed the bracelet and headed towards her front room. Predictably, Erza was attempting to force her way through the barrier.

“ _ Let me out right this second! _ ” 

“No.” Irene said calmly. “We’re not done here yet.”

Erza spun on her, sword drawn. “ _ Take down the enchantment or I will cut you down where you stand! _ ”

When she didn’t stand down, Erza moved to carry out her threat, sword swinging.

Irene moved at the same time, ducking under the attack and landing an unarmed strike as she danced away.

Erza, off balance, swung around, straight into Irene’s grasp.

Irene wasted no time in swiping Erza’s feet out from under her.

“First lesson for you, my love, is this,” Irene slid the bracelet over Erza’s wrist as she lay pinned beneath her. “Mother knows best.”


	2. Lesson 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone provided encouragement!!! That means there will be more to this half-baked idea after all!

If she’d felt sick before, she felt like death itself now. 

The fall was somehow more nauseating and disorienting than before. It felt as though her stomach had been tied in knots before being ripped out of her body through her eyes.

Which was the wrong imagery.

Erza’s eyes shot open as she sat up and turned over before vomiting.

“Nausea?” Irene questioned. “That’s not supposed to happen. Perhaps the enchantment needs some tweaking.”

The woman waved her hand and cleared away the mess before crouching down in front of her daughter and touching her forehead. Erza felt a magic transferral that cured the nausea, but still scowled, which made Irene smile.

“Is that better?” She asked, hand moving from Erza’s forehead to her cheek in a gentle caress.

Erza slapped her hand away in response. Or tried to, anyway. Her reflexes were slower than usual due to the enchantment, allowing Irene to easily catch her hand.

“Lesson two,” Irene began, catching Erza’s other wrist as she tried to shove her off again. She held one of the now-little-girl’s arms firmly in each hand. “Violence is not always the answer.”

Erza struggled to free herself. “Let go!”

“I have a feeling this one will take some time.” Her mother said calmly, ignoring the girl’s pleas and vain attempts to break free. “But that’s okay, we have plenty of time to get started. Now, please settle down.”

“No! I don’t want to do this!” Erza continued struggling. “You can’t make me! Now  _ let go! _ ”

“Settle.” Irene commanded.

Erza, much to her dismay, found herself responding. Involuntarily. Irene’s voice seemed to trigger some part of her, a deep part that she hadn’t thought about in years.

Whatever it was, it had Erza ceasing her struggles and sitting still.

“That wasn’t hard, now was it?”

“What did you do to me?” Erza demanded. “What was that?”

“I told you to do something and you did it.” Irene explained, releasing Erza’s arms. “Not to worry, it’s not an enchantment or form of mind control, it’s simply your subconscious responding to my voice.”

“What?”

“As you are currently, you are a child. Like most young children, you are able to recognize a voice of authority. It is ingrained in you to respond to that voice, especially if it belongs to a parental figure.”

“Great. So you’re bigger than me and can tell me what to do.”

Irene chuckled. “Anyone can tell you what to do, Erza, but it’s up to you to decide if you listen or not. You were quite capable of ignoring me just now, had you chosen to do so.”

“But didn’t you justー”

“I may be a bit more influential on your decision to obey, but it’s still your choice.” She looked towards Erza. “This is a safe space for you to learn and release, but in order for it to remain so you’re going to have to do things my way.”

“What if I don’t want to?”

“Then I expect that there is going to be a rather steep learning curve in store for you.”

Erza scowled and climbed to her feet, which were now smaller and more unsteady than they had been earlier that day, before turning away from her mother. She really was stuck then. She hated that. She hated being small. Hated how high her voice had gotten. Hated that she couldn’t use her magic(first thing she tried upon coming to her senses). Hated how useless she felt. Hated the frustrated tears rolling down her cheeks and hated how much she just wanted to curl up and take a nap.

There was something wrong with that. Erza’s train of thought screeched to halt at the realization.

She aggressively scrubbed away her tears. “What’s happening to me?! Why am I crying?!  _ What did you do?! _ ”

“You’re a five-year-old child. Your nineteen-year-old repression and controlling techniques don’t work here.” Irene made no move to stand, instead shifting so she was sitting more comfortably on the ground. “Tears are a natural reaction to a plethora of emotions. So you tell me, why are you upset?”

“I don’t know!” Erza shouted irritably.

“You do.” Irene said with practiced care. “Stop fighting it. It’s all right there.”

“This is stupid! Change me back!”

The second the words left her mouth, she remembered the bracelet. How could she have forgotten about it already? Disgusted, she yanked it off and tossed it away.

Returning to her adult self was just as disorienting the second time around as it had been the first time. It made her head hurt.

When Erza was confident she wasn’t going to throw up or pass out, she shot her mother her best death glare. “ _ What the fuck is wrong with you?! _ ”

The woman in question rose from her position on the ground. “Not nearly as much as what is wrong with you, Erza dear.”

“You turned me into a child and kidnapped me to live happily ever after with you in your psycho dreamworld against my will!” Erza accused. “What kind of sick fuck are you? And you think there’s something wrong with  _ me _ ! Have you looked in a mirror recently?!”

“I understand you’re upset with the situation, but it’s the best I could come up with. And it will work, I promise.”

“Never again! You may have got me before but it will never happen again!” With that, Erza pulled her Purgatory Armour’s sword from her hold space and stalked towards the bracelet with murder in her eyes. 

“Erza, perhaps that is not the wisestー” 

Irene’s warning was too late and Erza swung, only to have her attack rebound back.

When the roar of power faded and the dust settled, Erza, looking a bit worse for wear and a lot frazzled, looked back over her shoulder. She smiled ever so softly. Her eyes shone with barely restrained madness. “Oh. It’s enchanted against being destroyed. How ‘bout that?”

Irene, feeling slightly nervous, kept her face expressionless as she responded. “Of course it is. You haven’t mastered Lesson 2 yet. I wasn’t going to take any chances.”

“Ah.” Erza faced front once more.

Irene watched as her daughter banished the large sword to her hold space, an unnatural calm about her. Still facing the bracelet, she stood up tall and squared her shoulders.

Irene was now incredibly uncomfortable. She had expected more violence. Shouting and threats. Not… whatever this was. 

“Well then.” Erza turned and began to walk towards her mother. “In that case, I shall leave it alone.”

“Well done, my love.” Irene praised, though she was genuinely surprised. It really was a big improvement for having just started. “That’s progress towardsー”

“Oh, fuck it!” Erza interrupted, spinning back around and summoning her magic as she lept for the bracelet. “ _Nakagami Armour!_ _Nakagami Starlight!_ ”

“Oh, Erza…” Irene sighed as she summoned a protective barrier.

Lesson 2 was going to take a  _ long _ time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts? Is it total shit?  
> Please if you have suggestions or requests for this fic comment them!!  
> Love you all!  
> Thanks!


	3. Lesson 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have had this chapter done for like three days and totally forgot to post it. Whoops.  
> Here it is!! Please improve my self-esteem and leave a comment, yeah?

Irene frowned, studying her daughter(who’d involuntarily given up attempting to hack the enchanted bracelet apart after her own attacks had rendered her powerless) carefully. The younger woman was perched on the very edge of her seat, smiling and speaking quietly into her cup as she sipped at her tea.

If she was being completely honest, it was making Irene  _ extremely _ uncomfortable. It was strange behavior, even for Erza. Had she badly miscalculated? Perhaps the enchantment and what it represented had put too much strain on Erza’s already fragile mind and made her crack? 

“Erza?” Irene questioned, unable to remain silent.

“Thats me!”

“Are you…,” Irene took a breath. “Are you alright?”

“Nope! Not in the slightest!” Erza laughed to herself before whispering into her cup. “I’m so fucked.”

Irene raised an eyebrow. “Would you… care to elaborate on that?”

“I keep thinking that my own mother, the one who abandoned me and tried to kill my friends but claims to love me, has made this enchanted bracelet for me. Sweet, right? But, get this. It turns me into a child. To fix me. Because I’m broken.” Erza laughed to herself again before slamming her cup down and looking Irene in the eye, suddenly deadly serious. “Which means I’m fucked in the head because I’m imagining things though, right? Because there’s no way that could be real! I mean how fucked up would that be? Right?”

Irene opened her mouth to speak, but found that she had no words. 

“You know what the worst part is?” Erza asked. “That psycho might be onto something because I need to be fixed. But I’ve been broken for so long that I don’t even know what needs fixing!”

“Erza, Iー”

Erza ignored her and stood, pickling up the bracelet from the middle of the table. “So can you fix me, o cursed object? Or are you a part of my imagination, too?”

Irene watched as Erza fiddled with the bracelet, still not quite sure what was going on. Did this mean Erza actually thought her idea of age regression was a good one? Was all the fuss and violent protest from before simply Erza fighting against her own feelings regarding the regression? An impulse reaction in response to the unpleasant feelings the thought of childhood brought up?

The more Irene thought about it, the more it made sense. It was a very Erza thing to do. After all, wasn’t the whole idea behind the bracelet to help Erza stop reacting in violence based on denial and repression of how she actually felt? To be more comfortable with her feelings and mend the damage her upbringing cast upon her?

Perhaps she’d misjudged Erza’s self-awareness. Perhaps her daughter really did know she needed help but was incapable of asking for it.

“Well, I’m fucked either way, yeah?” Erza was saying, pulling Irene from her thoughts and back into the present. “What do I have to lose?”

Irene watched, quite surprised, as Erza willingly slid the bracelet on over her wrist.

  
  


When the regression completed, a red-haired little girl was left standing in the place previously occupied by her older self. 

Irene stood and moved towards her when the girl didn’t move, thinking that she might need to cast the anti-nausea spell again. “Erza? Are you alright?”

The girl stood still for another three seconds before bursting into tears, taking Irene by surprise yet again when she closed the distance between them and threw her small arms around her.

“I don’t wanna be small!” She wailed into Irene’s leg. “Why is being big so sad?”

“Being big is sad?” Irene questioned, one hand falling gently to the back of the girl’s head. She still didn’t quite believe what she was seeing. Did her daughter’s consent to the enchantment really make that big of a difference to its effect? 

“Being big is hard! It’s scary! And I …I… ” She broke off into sobs that made Irene’s heart ache. 

Irene, unable to help herself, reached down and lifted her daughter into her arms. She couldn’t deny that her heart leapt when the girl leaned into her embrace. Irene also made a private mental note of how natural it felt for her to be holding a child like this.

“I don’t know what to do!” Erza cried into her shoulder. “I try and it's not right! I’m scared!”

“It’s okay.” Irene found herself softly saying. “We’re here to learn, remember? We’ll make it better.”

“I dunno know how!”

“That’s why I’m here, my love. To help you learn. You’re not alone in this, okay? That’s Lesson 3. You’re not alone.”

“But Iー”

Irene shushed her softly. “You don’t need to worry about that now. We know our starting point now, what we need to address and that’s enough for now. You did great.”

“I d-did?” The girl sniffed, tears slowing down. She looked up. “How? All I did was cry!”

“And communicated the basic issue,” Irene smiled a bit. “You’re scared because you don’t know what to do. We can work with that.”

“But that’s nothing to go on!” Erza protested.

“You’d be surprised just how much that is to go on. Trust me on this, okay?”

Erza made a face that expressed her doubt before her face went blank. She was silent for a few seconds before her expression changed to one Irene couldn’t place. Something between disbelief and perhaps embarrassment? Or maybe she was just confused.

“You’re carrying me.” It wasn’t a question. 

Irene frowned slightly, but made no move to put Erza down(her selfish side had won over and she wouldn’t put her down until it was explicitly asked of her). “Well, yes. You came to me. Don’t you remember?”

“Sort of.” She scowled as she tried to focus. “No. It’s patchy.”

“That’s odd,” Irene commented, thinking through the specifics of the enchantment. “It really wasn’t that long ago. So what do you remember?”

“I remember regressing, and then being frustrated about… something.” Erza mumbled, more to herself than Irene. “No, not frustrated. Anxious, maybe? Perhaps it was both.”

“So you don’t remember the conversation we just had while you were having a moment?”

When Erza didn’t respond, Irene had her answer.

“I should have another look at the enchantment. Consent does increase its strength, but you shouldn’t lose memory like that. Not to mention the nausea from before, ” Irene moved to place Erza back on the ground. “We didn’t get as far as I would’ve liked, but perhaps you should take it off forー”

“Do I have to?” Erza blurted before quickly shaking her head. “Right, of course. Take it off and let you fix it.”

Irene wanted to ask what had just happened, but her daughter was already sliding the bracelet off.

Irene had a good idea of what was going on in Erza’s head most of the time, but her experiences today proved she didn’t know her daughter as well as she thought.

Irene had a lot of questions and she hoped Erza would be able to answer at least some of them. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I take suggestions!! So fire away! Or simply tell me your thoughts, that's good too.  
> I'm still gonna write the chapters I have in my head, but if y'all want anything specific drop a comment and I'll see what I can do!


	4. Lesson 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter isn't as good as I would have hoped, but the next one will be better. I think.  
> Read and review anyway?

“Holy fuck.” Where Erza’s first words as she rose back into her adult-self. She stumbled forward and barely managed to catch herself on the table, dizziness overtaking her.

Irene appeared at her shoulder. “Are you alright?”

Erza waved her off and blinked the dark spots out of her vision. “Fine. Just a bit disoriented.”

“Are you certain? How much do you remember?”

“Of what?” Erza shook her head. “Nevermind that. I’m exhausted. My magic energy is awfully low, too.”

“Erza, this is extremely important. What is the last thing that you remember?” Irene insisted.

“You told me to take the bracelet off, so I did.” Erza frowned. “Why? Is something wrong?”

“Maybe. How about before that?”

Erza looked skeptical but answered all the same. “I was small and upset by it, we talked, now I’m big again. What is going on?”

“You couldn’t remember that we had talked when you were small,” Irene pointed out, using her powers to examine the bracelet. “But now you can.”

Erza didn’t say anything.

“I can’t seem to find anything wrong with the enchantment other than what caused the nausea before, which I’ve corrected.” The older woman looked frustrated. “Perhaps it is simply your mind’s way of dealing with the regression? After all, the psychological effects of age regression are still beingー”

“That's not it,” Erza suddenly interrupted. “There’s two.”

“What?”

“When I regress, it’s like there’s two of me.” Erza explained. “One that knows I’m an adult and an S-Class wizard who shouldn’t allow you to manipulate me into agreeing to your ridiculous schemes. And then there’s one that doesn’t care. The one that, ah…”

Erza looked away, face a bit flushed.

Her mother smiled, guessing the rest. “The one that just wants to be a child? There’s nothing to be embarrassed about, its perfectly natural to want to experience a normalー”

“ _ Anyway _ ,” Erza said, clearing her throat. “They’re not in my head at the same time. When I regressed the first time, I was still me. Adult me. When you forced me the second time, I was still adult me, but your presence seemed to wake up the other one. She didn’t come out until that last time, though.”

“And I take it the two are not aware of one another’s presence?”

Erza ran her fingers through her hair and gave a tired sigh. “I guess not.”

“Interesting.” Irene commented. “Then I suppose there is nothing to worry about. I’ll just have to be aware of which version of you is present next time.”

“You say that like there’s going to be next time.”

“Of course there will be a next time, my dear. We are nowhere near done.”

And just like that, moderately agreeable Erza was gone, replaced by the much more violent Erza that the Fairy Tail guild knew and loved (and feared).

Erza had a good bit to say about the plans for continued regression, none of which reflected her earlier change of heart to go along with it. She once again believed the whole thing to be a complex scheme Irene was using to manipulate her and voiced her protests loudly. And with the help of a few swords. 

It would seem Lesson 2 would need to be continually reiterated for the foreseeable future.

What felt like several hours (but was actually several minutes) later, they were still arguing. Irene, while disappointed, was unfortunately not surprised by this. Arguing and lashing out in violence were two of her daughters' strongest defense mechanisms and old habits tend to die hard.

“Like I said before, this is an opportunity for you to learn some valuable things,” Irene insisted, growing tired with the continued debate. Thankfully, Erza was out of magic power and the violent protests had stopped. “I fail to see how that is a selfish endeavor to control you.”

“What other reason would you have to want to instruct me?” Erza shot back. She sounded fierce and threatening, but looked completely wiped.

“Is it so hard to believe that I love you and just want the best for you?” Irene questioned. 

Erza didn’t have a response to that.

“Nevermind that.” Irene gave a tired sigh and massaged her temple. “We’ve done it once, it was useful, we will do it again.”

That gave Erza her voice back. “Do I get a say in the matter?!”

“At this point? No.” 

“You can’t just一”

Irene sighed again. “Enough, dear. We have already established that your judgment on this matter is not sound, so I will be making the decisions.”

“I thought you needed my consent to make it work properly.” Erza challenged.

“And I’ll have it. As has been previously established, you are on board with the idea and support the regression.” Irene explained yet again. “You are just afraid of the implications that come with being okay with it and that is why you’re arguing with me.”

And with that, Irene decided that she was done. Done arguing with her daughter and ready for a bit of quiet to work out what to do next. She reached forward and touched Erza’s temple.

“ _ Deus somnum _ .” She whispered, and her daughter was immediately asleep.

Irene didn’t feel bad about it. After all, Erza was exhausted and could use the rest to regain her strength and her magic power. 

And Irene needed a break. She knew her daughter was a lot to deal with under normal circumstances and she also knew that the young wizard was even more exhausting when she was under duress. But Irene hadn’t anticipated  _ quite _ how much more chaotic her daughter would become when almost all control was taken from her.

Ah well. She knew better now.

Lesson 4: Never underestimate Erza’s ability to put up a fight. In any circumstances. The girl lives by the saying “going down swinging”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment? Even if you want to tell me it's garbage and I suck as a writer?  
> I also take suggestions/ requests.  
> Thanks for reading!


	5. Erza Belserion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what is this? Two chapters in one go? Crazy.

It had taken some time, but Erza and Irene had figured out how to manage the age regression and real life. For the most part, they lived completely normally. Interacting with friends, going on jobs, spending time at the guild. Normal, everyday things. No changes.

But every so often, Irene would bring Erza home with her. The bracelet would come out and then they would begin. They usually worked on people skills and emotional skills, and what Irene called a ‘common sense filter’, but not always. 

On days that the ‘Little Erza’ (Irene referred to her as Erza Belserion) personality was more dominant, Irene let her do as she pleased and enjoy being a child. These days were Irene’s favorites, Erza’s too, though she would never admit it. Irene believed that her daughter learned more by being able to explore the world through eyes not tainted by the demons of her childhood in Rosemary than any other way.

But she was learning, both as a carefree child and as a regressed adult. Irene had seen noticeable improvement in the way Erza processed her thoughts and feelings, using techniques they had practiced to better understand herself and others.

The violence was another story.

Erza’s reaction to most things was still ‘hit it first, ask questions later’. Her patience had maybe extended by the tiniest amount, but it wasn’t a lot. 

Perhaps Irene had been hoping for too much. After all, Fairy Tail was known for being destructive.

“Whatcha thinking about, Mommy?”

Irene came out of her thoughts and focused on the girl sitting on the floor in front of her. Much to her delight, today was an Erza Belserion day. 

“Nothing important, love,” Irene smiled. 

The girl looked doubtful.

“It’s nothing you need to worry about.” Irene amended. 

The girl narrowed her eyes, reminding Irene of the older version of her daughter. It seemed she passed the girl’s inspection though, because she soon shrugged and went back to smoothing the fur on her stuffed kitten. The kitten purred in response.

Erza Belserion absolutely adored stuffed animals. It was adorable and Irene had been more than happy to indulge in her daughter’s fascination. So yes, she’d enchanted the kitten to purr whenever it was petted. What was the point of having 400 years worth of enchanting magic experience if she couldn’t use it to make her child happy? She was currently planning an enchantment that would bring a small collection of horse figurines to life. If only she could figure out how to get them to whinny instead of moo… 

“You’re doing it again!” Erza suddenly cried. She stood up, leaving the kitten on the floor, and placed her hands on her hips. The judgment in her eyes was obvious.

“Doing what?” Irene asked, unsure of what the girl ment.

“Thinking about other stuff! You're  _ supposed _ to be playing with me.”

“That’s right. I’m sorry, love. I got distracted.” Irene picked up the plush puppy that she had completely forgotten was in her lap and positioned it towards the plush kitten.

The judgmental look hadn’t faded and Irene wondered what she was doing wrong.

“Why don’t we do something else?” Erza suggested.

“Oh, alright.” Irene couldn’t help but feel a little bad. She hadn’t meant to get lost in her thoughts. “What is it you had in mind?”

“Well,” Erza bit her lip and averted her eyes as she gathered the confidence to say what she had decided. “Maybe you could… teach me the magic?”

“Magic?” Irene repeated dumbly.

The girl nodded.

“Oh.” She wasn’t sure what to say. She had never considered the possibility that  _ she _ could teach her daughter magic. Erza had learned that on her own, and a style that was completely different than hers so she hadn’t even considered teaching her as an adult. But she wasn’t an adult currently. Perhaps she could teach her! There was only one problem.

Erza couldn’t use magic with the bracelet on.

Erza seemed to sense that a no was coming. “Please? I promise I listen! I’ll be extra careful! Please, Mommy?”

“I don’t know,” Irene said carefully, quickly thinking through the enchantment on the bracelet and trying to come up with a solution. There! She had it. “Magic is a complicated thing to learn.”

“I can do it!” Erza insisted.

“Hmm,” Irene pretended to be thinking it over, using her power to manipulate the enchantment on the bracelet her daughter was wearing. The solution to the magic problem was easy. She’d only need to add one word.

“Please?!” Little Erza begged.

“Alright. I suppose I can show you a few things.” 

Erza cheered in delight and Irene had to smile.

Enchantments were clever, and wording was important. The enchantment had said that Erza wouldn’t be able to access her magic while wearing the enchanted item. Now, it read that Erza  _ Scarlet _ wouldn’t be able to access her magic while wearing it.

Erza  _ Belserion _ was free to learn and use magic as she pleased.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos? Comments? thoughts? Suggestions? Anything even if it's just a hello or what you had for breakfast this morning would be greatly appreciated please I have no friends


	6. Magic 101

In hindsight, teaching magic out in the open, without protective barrier enchantments hiding them from view, was a horrible idea. The first few days they had tried it, no one had noticed. They had very productive lessons and no one questioned the level of magic energy rising from the field.

So Irene had assumed they were in the clear and carried on with her lessons today as if everything was fine.

“Now today we’re going to try a more complex kind of enchantment,” Irene began, looking over at Erza. The girl was wide-eyed and hanging on Irene’s every word. “Instead of using magic to give an object different abilities, we’re going to use magic to directly produce a useful effect.”

“Make something out of magic?” Erza questioned. “Like Maker Magic?”

“Not quite. Maker Magic channels magic energy through a specific element to make an animal or object or desired effect. This is kind of the reverse. You channel the abilities of the object or desired effect through your magic to make it tangible.”

Erza looked confused and Irene knew she had been too technical in her explanation.

“Let me make it easier,” Irene started again. “If I wanted you to produce lightning, what would you do?”

“Simple!” Erza answered. “I’d take a stick or a rock and enchant it to make lightning whenever it strikes the ground!”

“Very good,” Irene smiled. “But what if I told you that you could make lightning without the stick?”

“How? I thought enchantment magic needed something to hold the enchantment.”

“It does. But this type of enchantment uses the caster's own magic power as the focus of enchantment. Watch,” Irene took a couple of steps back. 

Erza watched, fascinated, as she felt her mother gather magic power. Suddenly, the magic energy rippled and a perfect bolt of lightning cracked through the air.

“Wow! How did you do that?!” Erza exclaimed. “Show me, Mommy! I want to try!”

“You go ahead and try it. Think of it as enchanting your own magic to be lightening.”

“Okay!” Erza closed her eyes and focused, drawing in magic energy.

Irene was still fascinated by Erza and her magic power. Her daughter had quickly caught on to the basics of feeling magic energy and some beginning level enchantments. Erza had always seemed to have a bottomless pit of magic energy, but her wellspring of power was just as vast as a child as it was when she was an adult. It was no surprise to see how she had become a famous S-Class wizard. Erza Scarlet really was in a category by herself.

Irene focused on the girl in front of her once more. “This type of enchantment costs a lot of energy, so don’t be surprised if you lose more than expected, okay?”

“Got it!” Erza opened her eyes and raised both hands in preparation, just like Irene had shown her (as strong and skilled as her daughter was, this was still new magic to the girl and Irene wasn’t going to take any chances with uncontrolled or sloppy spellcasting). Erza released her gathered energy, silently mouthing the words of the enchantment.

For a moment, Irene thought nothing happened. Then she saw the sparks dance around Erza’s fingertips. And then the entire area lit up with a powerful burst of lightning magic that nearly knocked Irene off her feet. While Irene’s lightning had been a perfectly controlled bolt, Erza’s was a wild explosion of sheet lightning that shattered the few trees in her immediate vicinity. 

After the power had faded, Erza stood in the center of the destruction looking extremely pleased with herself.

“Did you see that?! Did you see?!” Erza hopped about excitedly. “I did it! I made lightning!”

“I saw!” Erza’s excitement was contagious and Irene found her own energy levels rising in response. “You did great!”

“I’m gonna do it again!” Erza declared, already gathering magic energy around her. “Only this time, bigger!”

Even before the girl finished speaking, Irene’s dragon senses picked up on three magic energy signals approaching them. It was then that she remembered their lack of discretion and inwardly cursed herself. What had she been thinking? Irene’s power alone was enough to draw people’s attention, but paired with Erza’s? She really had been careless.

“My love, we need to be done for today.” Irene spoke quickly, hoping she and Erza could slip out before others could arrive. “Come on.”

“Just a second!” The girl called back, preparing to enchant her magic into lightning once more.

Irene wanted to wait and let her do the spell again. She really did. She loved teaching her daughter magic and wanted to continue to teach her.

But she also didn’t want to get caught by a group of guild wizards and questioned about unauthorized use of destructive magic so close to civilization. Not to mention it would be hard to explain why she was instructing a child in said unauthorized destructive magic. Guild wizards could be such a hassle.

So, against her personal desires, Irene had to stop her. “Erza,  _ now _ .”

“But I wanna try again!” Erza whined, not moving from her spot. “Just once more!”

“No. We need to go.” Irene said firmly. “Another time, you can do it again.”

Erza scowled and turned away, arms raised to continue the spell as she blatantly ignored her mother.

“ _ Erza Belserion _ ! If you release that spellー” 

Irene never got to finish, lightning exploding around her once more. She was prepared for it this time, managing to block the spell as it danced around her.

The magic signatures from before began to move faster, quickly closing in on them and Irene knew she was out of time to try and make a run for it. She cursed silently before storming towards her daughter.

Erza looked decidedly  _ not _ guilty and not at all sorry. In fact, she seemed impressed with herself.

“Just what did you hope to accomplish with a stunt like that?” Irene demanded. “If your goal was to land yourself in deep trouble, then mission accomplished.”

“I’m sorryー”

“No you’re not,” Irene interrupted with a sigh. Was she surprised by voluntary disobedience? Absolutely not. She may be smaller, but Erza was still Erza, and if she didn’t want to do something, there wasn’t anyone who could make her. “Come on, there’s people coming.”

“Is that bad?” The girl questioned.

“Yes. Well, actually no. It’s not bad, just inconvenient.”

Erza didn’t know what to say to that and simply offered her mother her arm. Irene slipped the bracelet off her daughter’s wrist and stuffed it into her pocket. Erza returned to her adult-self just as three figures stepped into the clearing.

“Erza! There you are!” Natsu Dragneel called, jogging over. Behind him came Lucy and Gray. “Oh hey, Dragon-Lady.”

Irene sighed. Of course the guild wizards that were sent to investigate would be the three most annoying and nosy wizards on the continent. If she had things her way, she’d kill them just to be rid of the chaos and nonsense they brought with them wherever they went.

As it was, they were her daughter’s best friends and she was forced to let them continue breathing.

“Natsu, what are you doing here? You were supposed to help Lucy with that job a few towns over.” Erza spoke confidently like she knew what was going on and hadn’t just spent the last several hours as a small child.

“We finished early, so we came home.” Natsu explained. “We were gonna just eat ourselves sick with Elfman and Gajeel, but there were all of these reports of high levels of dangerous magic energy and stuff that was makin’ Master kinda nervous so he told us to go beat whoever was doin’ up!”

“We were sent to investigate, not fight!” Lucy interjected. “Good grief, Natsu. Not everything is a battle you know!”

Gray smirked. “Idiot.” 

“Hey!” The fire dragon protested. “I’m smarter than you’ll ever be, you bastard!”

“Ha! You wish!”

“At least I’m not a pervert like you!”

Erza held up her hand. “Enough.”

Natsu and Gray fell silent, but continued to glare at one another. Lucy sighed and shook her head, deeming the two a lost cause.

“As always, you are all so  _ very _ entertaining.” Irene drawled, expression bored. “But your presence here is unnecessary. Erza already came to investigate and has been laying down magic law explaining exactly why I apparently cannot test magic this close to civilization.”

“As I said before, it is too dangerous to use that level of magic around people.” Erza said, quickly jumping on board with Irene’s lie. “There’s no exceptions, even for you.”

“As you wish, my dear.” Irene sighed dramatically. “I shall refrain from using powerful magic around boring non-magic people.”

“Thank you.” Erza looked to her friends. “It looks like we’re done here. Back to the guild?”

“Oh,” Lucy looked shocked at how quickly the situation had been handled. “Um, yeah. I guess so.”

“Sounds good to me.” Gray shrugged. “I love it when things are easy.”

“Works for me!” Natsu exclaimed. “Back to eating!”

Lucy groaned. “Do you ever think of things besides eating and fighting?”

“Sure! Sometimes I think about sleeping!” Natsu laughed at his own joke before he stopped in his tracks, frowning. He sniffed at the air. “Something smells off.”

“What do you mean? What is it?” Lucy asked.

Irene was wondering the same thing. Her dragon nose hadn’t picked up on anything strange, so what could this younger dragon-slayer be smelling?

Natsu fixed his gaze on Erza. “You smell wrong, Erza.”

“Excuse me?” 

“You smell wrong.” Natsu said again. “Like magic, but not your magic.”

“I don’t know what you mean or what you are insinuating, but I can assure you that I am myself.” Erza said carefully. 

“So why do you smell like a dragon?”


	7. Dragon Smell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this took so long!! I've been having SO much car trouble it isn't even funny! Not to mention school work is really pilling up.  
> Thanks for your patience! I'll try to do better!

“I’m sorry?” Erza raised an eyebrow. “A what?”

“A dragon,” Natsu repeated. “You smell like a dragon.”

Lucy looked uncertain. “What do you mean, Natsu?”

“Exactly what I said! She smells like a dragon!”

“Yes, but what does that mean? How can Erza smell like a dragon?” Lucy demanded, waving her hands about frantically. “It doesn’t make any sense! Natsu, are you  _ sure _ it’s Erza you’re smelling and not Irene?”

“Of course I’m sure! A dragon’s nose is never wrong!”

Irene spoke up then. “Perhaps that is the case, but you are no dragon.”

“So? I’m a dragon-slayer!” Natsu exclaimed. 

“I’m aware,” Irene sighed. She really didn’t care for her daughter’s friends. “But your senses are not as strong as mine. I can assure you that Erza smells as she always has.”

“But she doesn’t!” Natsu protested.

“Hey, dumbass have you considered the fact that Erza’s been hanging around with her mom?” Gray spoke up. “Irene’s a dragon. Smells rub off don’t they? Maybe the dragon you’re smelling is just Irene and Erza’s scents mixed together.”

“That does make sense,” Erza agreed. “Besides, what else would explain it? I don’t know much, but I do believe that people’s scents don’t just change out of the blue.”

“But that’s notー”

Erza’s glare promised great pain upon his person if he continued to speak so Natsu quickly shut his mouth.

He didn’t think time spent with Irene was the reason for her change of smell, but he also didn’t want to die by Erza’s hand so he decided to drop it for now.

“Glad that’s settled then.” Laughed Lucy nervously. “So we should head back and tell Master that everything is fine now?”

Erza nodded. “Yes. You three go on, and I’ll meet you there.” 

Gray raised an eyebrow. ‘What are you going to do?”

“I thought I’d accompany Irene back to her house.” Said Erza. 

Gray shrugged, content with her answer, and began to walk off. Lucy and Natsu shared a look of uncertainty before peeling off after him.

As soon as they were out of earshot, Erza turned to her mother. “My scent has has changed?”

Irene scoffed. “Your scent has most certainly not changed, that boy is as empty-headed as humans can get. Pay him no mind.”

“That’s one of my best friends you’re talking about,” Erza said warningly, her protective streak awakening. “And he’s right. His nose has never been wrong before, so why would it now?”

“Excess magic energy in the air can interfere with one’s senses.” Irene supplied casually, as if bored of the conversation. “I’m sure he was just confused. Don’t worry about it, my love. Everything is fine.”

Erza wasn’t so sure of that.

The two of them made pleasant conversation during the walk back to Irene’s place. Erza didn’t fully relax, but she was able to push her thoughts on her dragon smell to the back of her mind. She met up with her friends at the guild afterwards and life continued as usual without mention of the issue.

In fact, Erza didn’t think of it again until she had returned to Fairy Hills that night.

Erza was sitting in the common area reading when Wendy came up to her.

“Hi, Erza!” The girl called cheerfully, coming over to sit beside her. “What are you reading?”

Erza quickly slammed the book shut and held it close to her chest to conceal the cover. “Nothing that would interest you, Wendy. Just some, ah, stuff.”

Wendy’s eyes filled with innocent curiosity.. “What kind of stuff?”

“Nothing important!” Erza banished the book into her requip holding space. “What can I do for you?”

Just like that, the curiosity vanished and Wendy looked almost sad. Concerned.

“Um, actually, I was wondering if I could help you.” Wendy said, a bit uncertain. “Is there anything I can do for you?”

“That’s kind of you, but I don’t need anything.” Erza smiled, then took one of Wendy’s hands in hers and suddenly looked serious. “If this is you trying to pay me back for something I did for you, please don’t worry about it. You don’t owe me anything. I care about you and am always willing to help. You’re not indebted to me and you don’t have to do something for me as a payment, okay?”

Wendy’s face went a little pink. “I-It’s not that. I  _ do _ want to help you and pay you back when I can, but that’s not why I asked. I’m worried about you, Erza.”

“You don’t have to worry about me, Wendy.” Erza said gently. “It’s good to know you care, but don’t weigh yourself down with unnecessary worries about me. I’m okay, I promise.”

“But you’re not, are you?” Wendy asked. “You’re not okay. Not really.”

“I’m afraid I don’t understand. What do you mean?”

Wendy looked down to avoid Erza’s gaze. “I don’t think anyone else has noticed, but I have. You’ve been spending a lot more time on your own. You’re more tired than usual and you’ve been acting kind of strange.”

Erza frowned a bit. “I have?”

“Yeah,” Wendy continued. “You talk a bit differently and seem a little less fired up than usual about things. And your scent is all off.”

Natsu’s comments about her smell from earlier in the day came rushing back and Erza didn’t know what to say.

Wendy suddenly looked up to catch Erza’s eye, tears dancing at the edges of her own. “Erza, are you depressed?”

“Am I… what?”

“It’s okay if you are! I won’t judge! I’ll help you in any way I can!” Wendy exclaimed. “You can talk to me! I can see if my healing magic can help or maybeー”

“Wendy,” Erza interrupted. “I’m not depressed, so you don’t need to worry about that. What made you think that?”

“Oh, well,” Wendy looked a bit embarrassed. “I just thought that was what was causing you to act weird and why you were alone and tired. You’re scent is different too, and I heard that can happen if you go through some kind of personality change like depression can cause. And since Jellal’s been avoiding Magnolia it just made senseー”

At that, Erza had to smile. “Wendy, I’m glad you’re watching out for me but I can assure you that I am fine. I’m not sure what you heard about Jellal, and he’s not avoiding Magnolia.”

“Really? Then where has he been?”

“He’s on the other side of the continent busy with a great many things but he’ll be back next month. He sends me a letter every couple of days, you know.”

“Oh.” Wendy felt a bit foolish now, jumping to conclusions. “I’m sorry! I didn’t know! And now I’ve said too much andー”

“It’s quite alright Wendy, no need to stress about it.” Erza said reassuringly. “I feel like I’m the one who should be apologizing for causing you so much worry. I haven’t actually been spending a lot of time alone, I’ve been going to see my mother. Which I suppose also explains why I’ve been more tired and acting a bit differently. I’m trying to understand things her way, if that makes sense.”

“I guess so.” Wendy responded. “And I’m glad you’re spending time with Lady Irene. It makes her happy whenever you’re around and I think it’s been a very long time since she was happy.”

“I think so, too.” Erza agreed.

The two sat in companionable silence for a few minutes before Wendy spoke again.

“What about your scent then?” She asked. “Why’s it different?”

“I don’t know.” Erza sighed softly. “Natsu asked me the same thing. Perhaps because I’ve been spending so much time with Irene. She’s not human and has a very distinctive magic. Perhaps it has altered my smell in some way.”

“Maybe.” Wendy said thoughtfully. “It’s not a bad smell, you know.”

“No?”

“No. You still smell like you. Like fresh strawberries and steel, but older. More magical.”

Erza raised an eyebrow. “I smell magical?”

“In a way. It’s kind of hard to describe but it sort of reminds me of Grandeeney. It’s comforting.”

“I see.” Erza said softly.

“It suits you.”

Erza said nothing, but a faint smile found its way onto her face and she pulled Wendy close to her. Wendy leaned into her embrace and sighed happily.

They sat together for a while, content to enjoy the silence.

“Erza?”

“Hmm?” 

Wendy pulled away to look at her. “Are you going to marry Jellal?”

Erza laughed. “Maybe someday. We’ll see.”

  
  


It was exactly midnight when it finally clicked. 

Irene had been brooding all evening about what Natsu had said, trying to see if in fact there was something to worry about. She had gone over countless possibilities and disregarded just as many. The more she thought about it, the more she knew something was wrong. Scents don’t just change for no reason, especially going from a human smell to a dragon smell. It just doesn’t happen.

So why did it?

And why didn’t Irene notice?

It wasn’t until midnight that Irene put two and two together.

“Dragon seed.  _ Fuck _ .”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts? Suggestions? I love hearing from you!


	8. More Questions Than Answers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is not great. I own up to that. I've been running on fumes for the past couple of weeks and writing has been difficult. I'm trying not to give up on this story, but it's difficult.  
> Either way, thanks for reading and being so supportive!

Irene had worked through the night to come up with a plan. It wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing. She quickly finished her preparations, then rushed to intercept her daughter on her way to the guild.

Unfortunately, Erza was not alone. 

The young dragon slayer, Wendy, was walking beside her and looking incredibly interested in what Erza was saying. Irene hung back, not wanting to interrupt, but stayed close enough to listen.

She wasn’t eavesdropping. No. She was simply passing by and  _ just so _ happened to be hearing what was going on.

“...’Everything is going well, but slowly. I hope to return to you soon. Give the others my best wishes’”. Erza said, lowering the piece of paper she was holding. “See? He hasn’t forgotten about us.”

A letter, Irene concluded. She was reading a letter to the younger girl. Perhaps a mutual acquaintance of theirs?

“That’s good to hear.” Wendy smiled before turning a questioning look on her companion. “Are you sure that’s all he said? It was kinda short for how much it looked like he wrote.”

Erza folded the paper in half and returned it to her pocket. “There was more. It’s just of a more personal nature.”

“Oh! Of course!” Wendy’s face flushed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think. Of course he wrote more for you that you wouldn’t want to read aloud! I’m sorry!”

Irene’s eyebrows rose. Did her daughter have a secret lover? Scandalous. She wanted to know more. 

Distracted. She was getting distracted.

“It wasn’t much more,” Erza was saying, sounding a bit disappointed. “I’m ready for him to be home.”

“Me too.” Wendy agreed. “Do you think he remembers saying he’d go on a job with me?”

Irene left her spot in the shadows to approach them.

“I’m sure he does.” Erza said before noticing Irene. “Mother. What brings you out here this morning?”

“Hello, Lady Irene!” Wendy greeted as well.

“I need to talk to you.” Irene explained. She looked at Wendy, then back to her daughter. “Preferably alone.”

Erza looked at Wendy, then back to her mother. “Is it that important?”

“Yes.”

Erza sighed. “Alright, then. Wendy, you go on, I’ll catch up later.”

“Okay,” Wendy looked at the two of them, silently wondering what was so important that it brought Lady Irene out to intercept them. “See you later, Erza!”

She continued on her way, leaving mother and daughter alone.

“Yes?” Erza asked.

“It’s a dragon seed.” Irene stated.

Her daughter’s features molded into a look of confusion. “What is?”

“The thing that’s caused your scent to change.” Irene went on to explain. “I didn’t notice because I’ve always smelled it on you, but learning new magic with me has caused it to awaken. Not enough to cause you harm, not yet, but enough for your dragon slayer friends to notice.”

Erza was silent, clearly thinking. Irene knew she knew what a dragon seed was and what it could do.

“How do I have a dragon seed?” Was Erza’s first question. “I’m not a dragon slayer.”

“You see, that’s not entirely true. You could be considered a dragon slayer.” 

Erza remained quiet, silently asking for an explanation.

“You’re not a dragon slayer in the way your friends are, they were taught dragon magic by actual dragons. You, however, have inherited a bit of power from me.” Irene said. “While you don’t know any dragon slayer spells, you have the magic abilities, capacity and durability of one. Your magic power is vast and adaptable, just like that of a dragon slayer, because you have the power of a dragon inside you.”

“So the dragon seed came from my magic, which is similar to a dragon slayer because it partially came from you?”

“Exactly.” 

“So then why do I not use dragon slayer magic?”

“Darling, you don’t use dragon slayer magic for the same reason you don’t use maker magic,” Irene laughed. “No one taught you. But that doesn't change the fact that you have the power. You could be a dragon slayer, if you wanted to.”

Erza shook her head. “I… I can’t think about that right now. So I have the power of a dragon, but I don’t use it. So why is the dragon seed noticeable now? Why am I not dead if I’ve had it all this time?”

“That’s a bit harder to explain,” Irene sighed. “The short answer is: I don’t know. I suppose the dragon seed could have been dormant while you didn’t use its power. It could have been awoken by learning enchantment magic, since many types of dragon slayer magic can use enchant, but I can’t say for certain.”

“I see.” Erza frowned. “So what do we do about it? Will it hurt me even if I don’t use dragon slayer magic?”

“Again, I don’t know.” Irene shrugged apologetically. “I do, however, have a few theories. Nothing concrete, but something is better than nothing. I’ll look into it and see what I come up with.”

Erza didn’t look satisfied with that answer, but remained quiet all the same. A sort of uncomfortable silence fell over the two of them.

“So, ah…” Irene racked her brain for something to say. “You’re going to the guild today?”

“Yes. My team and I are going on a job.” Said Erza.

“I see.”

A beat of silence before Era spoke.

“Would you… like to join us? Perhaps?”

Irene’s heart jumped. Did her daughter just invite her to go on a quest with her friends? That had never happened before. Maybe everything with the bracelet was working! She was building a relationship with Erza, just like she’d always wanted!

“Of course I will go! You need only ask!” Is what Irene wanted to say, but she had a reputation to maintain and instead settled on: “If you don’t think it too much of a bother, I guess I could accompany you.”

“Glad to hear it.” Erza said with a smile. “Shall we then? I’m sure the boys are anxious to get underway.”

Irene motioned for Erza to lead the way and the two of them walked together through town and into the guild. When they arrived, Irene hovered near the far corner of the bar while Erza told the team about their plan for her to tag along.

Their reactions were varied.

“Absolutely not! She’s mean and hurts people for fun!” That was the fire dragon. Irene didn’t care to remember his name. She didn’t like him much.

“I mean, I don’t really care either way, but I have to ask why?” The ice wizard. What was his name? Grant? Greg maybe? He didn’t really interest her much, but she could tell he shared a special connection with his daughter.

“I’m with Gray. I don’t see a problem with her tagging along but I do think it’s kind of strange.” The blonde celestial wizard. She was.... Something. Irene wasn’t entirely sure how to categorize her.

“Come on guys! Irene’s not all bad! She just wants to spend time with Erza! Plus I bet she can be super helpful if we let her come with us!” That was Wendy. Of all of Erza’s friends, she was the one Irene liked the most.

After a bit of convincing(threatening) on Erza’s part, the team seemed to have a better attitude towards Irene coming along and they set off.

“Isn’t this exciting?” Wendy asked the group. “Going on jobs together is my favorite thing!”

“It's always exciting to spend time together.” Erza said, looking towards Wendy.

“Yeah, totally!” Lucy agreed. “Especially when we get paid for it!”

“Or when we get to fight somebody!” Natsu chimed in.

Gray rolled his eyes and sighed. 

“You don’t enjoy spending time with your friends?” Irene asked quietly.

“Nah, that’s not it.” Gray shook his head before a smile found its way onto his face. “I just can’t help but be reminded that I’m friends with a bunch of idiots.”

“ _ I heard that Icicle Breath! _ ”

“Yeah well it doesn’t change anything Fire Bastard!” Gray shouted in retort before he looked over at Irene. “I wouldn’t trade ‘em for anything, but I can’t deny the fact that they annoy the hell outta me.”

“The feeling’s mutual, I can promise that.” Erza said, suddenly appearing at Gray’s side. She threw an arm around his shoulders. “You guys are terrors but I love you more than you know.”

Irene couldn’t help but feel a painful longing as she watched her daughter interact with her friends. She was happy for her, she really was. But still, her heart ached. How long had it been since she had someone she could truly call a friend? 

When was the last time she laughed and joked with someone?

When was the last time she had people who loved her?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry again, I know this chapter wasn't the greatest and I can't help but feel the last few have been boring. I'll keep trying to do better, I promise!  
> Thanks for the support!


End file.
